Catholic Trivia: How Well Do You Know Jesus' Grandparents?

Today is the Feast of St Joachim, Our Lord's Grandfather. In the East, he and his wife, St Anne, are kept on 9 September, and in the NO, they are kept together on 26 July.

From Aleteia

By Theresa Civantos Barber

Anne and Joachim were the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus. How well do you know these saints who conceived Mary in their old age?

Maybe you’ve asked St. Anne for help finding something lost, or even a husband. (As the saying goes, “St. Anne, St. Anne, find me a man!")

Or you may have asked for her and St. Joachim’s intercession for your grandparents or grandchildren, as they are the patron saints of grandparents.

But did you know that most of the information about them comes from apocryphal writings rather than the canonical Gospels? That's just the beginning of what might surprise you about these beloved grandparents of Jesus.

Sts. Anne and Joachim are known as the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. But even if you're familiar with their role in salvation history, how well do you know these saints whom God blessed with the miracle of conceiving Mary in their old age?

Their shared feast day, July 26, is the perfect time to test your Sts. Anne and Joachim trivia. You can find the answers at the bottom. When you're done, let us know your score!

Sts. Anne and Joachim Trivia

1WHAT DOES THE NAME “ANNE” (OR “ANNA”) MEAN IN HEBREW?

2ACCORDING TO TRADITION, HOW LONG WERE ANNE AND JOACHIM MARRIED BEFORE MARY WAS BORN?

3WHAT IS ST. ANNE THE PATRON SAINT OF, BESIDES GRANDMOTHERS?

4ST. ANNE IS PARTICULARLY VENERATED AS A PATRON SAINT OF WHICH TWO COUNTRIES/REGIONS?

5IN WHAT ANCIENT APOCRYPHAL TEXT DO WE FIRST FIND THE STORY OF ANNE AND JOACHIM?

6ACCORDING TO TRADITION, AT WHAT AGE DID ANNE AND JOACHIM BRING MARY TO THE TEMPLE?

7WHAT FAMOUS CANADIAN SHRINE IS DEDICATED TO ST. ANNE, KNOWN FOR ITS MIRACLES?

8ST. ANNE IS OFTEN DEPICTED IN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS ART TEACHING MARY TO DO WHAT?

9WHAT SYMBOLIC ITEM IS ST. ANNE’S EMBLEM?

10ONE OF THE OLDEST CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN THE U.S. IS DEDICATED TO ST. ANNE. IN WHAT STATE IS IT LOCATED?

Answers

1. “Grace” or “favor,” from “God has given grace.” The name Anne is derived from the Hebrew name Hannah.

2. According to tradition, they were childless for 20 years before Mary's miraculous conception.

3. St. Anne is the patron saint of unmarried women, housewives, pregnant women, grandmothers, people suffering from infertility, equestrians, lacemakers, miners, the poor, and seamstresses. Whew, that’s a mouthful! You get this point if you named any of them. 

4. Brittany (France) and Canada. Both are home to beloved and popular shrines in her honor.

5. They were first mentioned in the Gospel of James (also called the Protoevangelium of James), part of the apocrypha.

6. Age three. They brought Mary to the Temple when she was just three years old, fulfilling a vow they had made.

7. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, Canada, is a shrine where countless miracles have been reported and pilgrims leave behind crutches and canes.

8. Reading the Scriptures. St. Anne is often shown teaching young Mary to read from sacred texts.

9. A door is her emblem, symbolizing her role as the portal through which Mary (and thus Christ) came into the world.

10. The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit in Michigan is is the second-oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the United States.

What's Your Score?

9-10 correct: Grandparent Saint Scholar

7-8 correct: Holy Family Expert

5-6 correct: Sacred Tradition Enthusiast

Under 5: Sts. Anne and Joachim are still interceding for you!

We hope you had fun playing along with us!